Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
Unless one attends Mass on a daily basis, there are many celebrations of the Church that pass unnoticed. If the event is significant enough, the feasts are transferred to Sunday so that everyone is aware of them, such as Epiphany or Corpus Christi. Others will eventually fall on a Sunday, so they are celebrated or at least mentioned. This year St. Patrick’s Day happens to fall on a Sunday. But other feasts occur on a weekday and are noticed only by the handful of the faithful who attend Mass that day. 
This past Friday, January 25th, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Conversion of St.
Paul. This celebration is unique in that it is the only commemoration of any saint’s conversion that we celebrate. St. Paul’s conversion was a very significant event in the history of the Church. Saul believed that he was doing God’s will by persecuting the Christians. As he was on a mission to arrest Christians in Damascus, he was struck down and blinded. He heard a voice asking why he was persecuting. In the days ahead he came to know the Christ whose voice he had heard. He came to believe, his sight was restored and he became an ardent follower of Jesus.
It is Saul who came to understand that the Church and its message of salvation was for all
people. He changed his name from the Hebrew Saul to the Greek Paul and began to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. In a dream, Paul was given the mission to spread the Gospel
beyond the borders of Asia and he extended his missionary journeys into Europe. As St. Paul established the Church in cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and finally Rome itself, he wrote letters containing correction and encouragement to the new Christians. These letters were read at the early liturgies and eventually became a part of the New Testament. The Church spread rapidly, largely due to the preaching and teaching of St. Paul, one man who was willing to change his life and say yes to God’s will for him.
In our own lives we too must go through a conversion. Even those who have been Catholic
their whole lives must say yes to God’s will for them. For most of us this is not a dramatic
conversion like that of St. Paul, but a daily saying Yes, I want to love and serve You today,
Lord. May the great Apostle Paul be an example to you. Through his intercession may you live each day for God and help spread the Good News of Salvation!
Msgr. Cox